Fit kids in the kitchen: FoodActive is a summer camp for youngsters that combines healthy eating and food preparation with exercise.
It is based at St Conleth's College in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, where participants, aged between 11 and 17, spend three or four hours each day cooking or watching demonstrations by chefs, including Derry Clarke (right) of L'Ecrivain restaurant. When they're not in the kitchen they're honing their skills in soccer, tag rugby, table tennis, rounders and hiking. The exercise is fuelled by a two-course lunch and snacks cooked by the in-house chef. The courses run from June 26th to August 18th, 9.30am to 10-30am, Monday to Friday. The cost is €295 for one week, or €495 for two weeks, to include lunch and a snack, recipe sheets and dietary information provided by a nutritionist. See www.foodactive.ie. Marie-Claire Digby
Aga saga
Denise Keogh opens the doors of Westpalstown Cookery School, at Oldtown in north Co Dublin, next Thursday, with the first in a series of confidence-building basic cookery classes (€300 for six two-and-a-half- hour sessions). She also has "cast-iron workshops", for people who cook on Agas and other ranges - perfect if you've just fitted one of these monsters in your kitchen and haven't quite got to grips with it; these classes are on Saturdays, 11am-4.30pm; €120 with lunch. Book on 01-8433524. Marie-Claire Digby